Advanced Placement (AP) Latin, formerly Advanced Placement (AP) Latin: Vergil, is an examination in Latin literature offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. Prior to the 2012–2013 academic year, the course focused on poetry selections from the Aeneid, written by Augustan author Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Vergil or Virgil. However, in the 2012–2013 year, the College Board changed the content of the course to include not only poetry, but also prose. The modified course consists of both selections from Vergil and selections from Commentaries on the Gallic War, written by prose author Gaius Julius Caesar. Also included in the new curriculum is an increased focus on sight reading. The student taking the exam will not necessarily have been exposed to the specific reading passage that appears on this portion of the exam. The College Board suggests that a curriculum include practice with sight reading. The exam is administered in May and is three hours long, consisting of a one-hour multiple-choice section and a two-hour free-response section. Material previously tested (before 2012) Students were expected to be familiar with these following lines of the Aeneid: Book 1: Lines 1–519 Book 2: Lines 1–56, 199–297, 469–566, 735-804 Book 4: Lines 1–449, 642–705 Book 6: Lines 1–211, 450–476, 847–901 Book 10: Lines 420-509 Book 12: Lines 791–842, 887-952 Students were also expected to be familiar with the total content of Books 1 through 12. Abilities tested The exam tests students' abilities to: Translate a Latin passage from the syllabus into English literally Explicate specific words and phrases in context Identify the context and significance of short excerpts from the works specified in the syllabus Identify and analyze characteristic or noteworthy features of the authors' modes of expression, including their use of imagery, figures of speech, sound effects, and metrical effects (in poetry only), as seen in specific passages Discuss particular motifs or general themes not only suggested by passages but also relevant to other selections Analyze and discuss structure and to demonstrate an awareness of the features used in the construction of a poem, thesis, or an argument Scan the meters specified in the syllabus Reading and translation Critical appreciation of the Aeneid as poetry implies the ability to translate literally, to analyze, to interpret, to read aloud with attention to pauses and phrasing, and to scan the dactylic hexameter verse. Students should be given extensive practice in reading at